The Places You Go When You Dream
by hobbleit
Summary: Ianto is trapped


Title: The Places You Go When You Dream  
>Rating: PG-13<br>Word Count: 1,224  
>Summary: Ianto is trapped<br>Warnings: None Really  
>Notes: Title is from Pulled Under at 2000 metres a second by Anathema. Written for the redisourcolour challenge 22. I used the words Sprain, Violet and Skedaddle along with the sentence "Fear kept him running despite the agonising pain."<br>Also, apologies if this is complete rubbish, still trying to get the hang of writing the characters.  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood nor am I affiliated in any way, I just like making stories.<p>

**The Places You Go When You Dream**

"Now might be the time to skedaddle," the cold, harsh voice called out, sending chills down Ianto's spine. It was toying with him, playing with him. It wanted to see him scared and he was feeling very afraid. "If you can," it added ominously.

He started to run but he didn't seem to move anywhere. He felt as though he was stuck on a treadmill and no matter how fast he tried to run he was still stuck in the same room, the large light fixture hanging from the centre of the ceiling giving it a deceptively warm glow. This wasn't a good place to be and Ianto was terrified.

"Where do you think you're going?" The voice called out. "You can try to run but you can't escape me."

"What do you want?" Ianto cried out, unable to keep the fear from his voice.

"You," came the one word reply.

Ianto felt as though a rug was being pulled out from under him and he felt his legs give way underneath him. A jolt of pain rushed through his ankle as he collided heavily with the floor. He groaned in agony and clutched at his ankle, pulling the trouser leg up to observe the damage. His skin had turned a wonderful shade of violet. It was a sprain, a bad one.

"Damn," he moaned as he attempted to stand up. Pain coursed through his leg as he put the slightest amount of pressure on it. He screamed out in pain but that only served to make the voice even happier.

"Run, run as fast as you can," it taunted. "I'll even give you a head start."

Ianto knew that if he didn't move then he would be dead so he attempted to run. Fear kept him running despite the agonising pain but no matter how hard he tried to escape he always ended up back in the same room with the high ceiling and the deceptively warm glow.

"Please," he called out, begging. "What do you want with me?"

"You might want to stay out of the shadows, Ianto," the voice laughed. "You never know what might be lurking."

Ianto yelled as he saw the shadows descend upon him. There was no chance of escape. It was coming for him. He was going to die, he just knew it. He couldn't do anything as he felt the darkness engulf of him and everything went black.

XXX

He thought death would have been a lot less anti-climatic. At the very least he expected moments from his life to flash before his eyes or to see a bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel. He got neither.

"You're not dead," the voice said to him, almost as if it was reading his mind. "Not yet anyway."

"Please, don't," Ianto begged. He tried to move but he found himself tied down. "Let me go," he said as he struggled uselessly against his bonds.

"Why, we're having so much fun aren't we? I'm certainly enjoying it. I am going to make you hurt so much you will wish for death."

Ianto couldn't find his voice to retort. He was so scared now, he knew he was going to die in this room with the hanging light and the deceptively warm glow, tied to a chair with a disembodied voice taunting him. Then he laughed. He laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation he was in.

"What's so funny?" The voice asked.

"This," Ianto laughed. "I am going to die and I'm being killed by something that isn't even there. How daft is that?" He really didn't know why he found this so funny, it certainly wasn't an appropriate time to be bursting out in laughter but, hell, if you couldn't laugh hysterically when you were about to die when could you? "I mean, I was running but not actually going anywhere, it was like a damned cartoon. I was half expecting Roadrunner to turn up and for me to get blown up by some Acme dynamite, that's how ridiculous this is."

Ianto's bout of hysterics was cut short by a sharp pain in his gut. He gasped and looked down to see his white shirt being stained blood red and his mind was flooded with fear once more. It suddenly felt very real, his death was imminent and it hurt. A lot.

"_Ianto," _he heard a voice calling him. It sounded familiar. _"Ianto," _it called again.

"Jack?" Ianto cried out in reply. "Are you there?"

"Ianto, you have to open your eyes, it's very important that you open your eyes," The voice commanded.

"My eyes are open, Jack. Help me."

"_Open your eyes, Ianto. It can't hurt you if you open your eyes."_

"What can't hurt me? Jack, please help," Ianto begged. "I don't want to die. Please help me!"

"_Jack, we're losing him," _he heard another voice.

"No, don't leave me. Help me!"

Ianto screamed in agony and slammed his eyelids shut as he tried to block out the pain. He felt the world spinning and a wave of nausea hit him. He desperately tried to grasp onto life, he so desperately wanted to find Jack so he would be safe again. Everything would be okay if only he had Jack.

XXX

Ianto's eyes flew open and he screamed in pain but something was different. He was no longer in that damned room, tied to that chair. He was lying on the autopsy table in the Hub.

"Thank Christ you woke up," he heard Owen say. "We thought you were dead for a moment there."

"What happened?" Ianto asked, his mouth feeling dry as a bone.

"Do you want the long or short answer to that?" He heard Jack ask.

"The shortest one possible."

"An alien."

"Why am I not surprised?" He groaned.

"It trapped you in your own nightmare…"

"And unfortunately for you," Owen continued Jack's sentence, "Whatever happened in said nightmare happened to you in real life. So you now have a very attractive knife wound in your gut and your ankle is a delightful shade of violet."

"Wonderful," Ianto replied dryly. "Can I at least recover somewhere slightly more comfortable than this table?"

"Come on," Jack said. "I'll help you move to the sofa," he gently helped Ianto to his feet and half carried him to the sofa before lying him down. He leaned down next to him and placed a gentle kiss on Ianto's lips. "Don't scare me like that again," he whispered hoarsely so only Ianto could hear him.

"I'm sorry."

"I honestly thought you weren't going to come back from this," Jack told him in a rare moment of openness between the two.

"I didn't think I would either. Lucky I had you to bring me back," Ianto smiled weakly.

He didn't want to think of the alternative but he couldn't help but allow it to invade his mind. He could have died, one day probably would whereas Jack would live on for eternity. It made his stomach hurt to think about it.

"I'm glad you were here to bring me back," Ianto repeated and sighed, closing his eyes and allowed the blissful pull of sleep to envelop him. It might not be forever but now would have to do.


End file.
